Homemade Nacho Sauce, Salsa, Refried Black Beans (in the crockpot!) & Guacomole!

I love, love, love nachos!  They are so much better when the toppings are homemade!  Of course these toppings can be used for all sorts of everything, not just nachos!  

The Best Crockpot Refried Beans

All my kids will sit and eat these with tortilla chips or tortillas like crazy!  These beans are super addicting and they freeze well so I do up a big batch and freeze into 2 cup portions.

1-2 lbs dried pinto or black beans
sweet onion
garlic
chicken bouillon

1/4-1/2 c. butter
shredded cheese

Rinse beans.  Place in crockpot and fill the crockpot almost to the top with water.  You can substitute chicken broth for the water and bouillon if you like.  Add 1/2-1 sweet onion; no need to chop.  Add a couple cloves of garlic and bouillon.  Cook on high for a few hours stirring every once in a while.  If you're cooking 2 lbs of beans you may need to add more water towards the end.  Once the beans are nice and soft, remove the onion and drain most of the water. Keep the crockpot hot.  Add butter.

Use an immersion blender to smash the beans up nice and smooth.  If you don't have an immersion blender scoop the beans out a couple of cups at a time and blend in a regular blender.  A Guatemalan friend gave me the tip that you have to keep the beans hot the whole time you're blending them to have a nice texture.  When I made refried beans from dried in the past they were gritty... Blending them without letting the temperature drop keeps them delightfully smooth!  Once smooth, stir in cheese to taste! 

The Best Homemade Salsa

This recipe is my sister's... We love it!

2 cans diced tomatoes
3 fresh tomatoes
1/2 sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
juice of 3 limes
jalapeno or other pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro
salt & pepper

Blend together in a blender or food processor!  Enjoy!

Nacho Sauce

This isn't really a recipe, but a technique... It turns out really smooth and tasty!  Plus it's healthier than the processed stuff!  This is good on steamed veggies as well.  A lot of people try to start with a lot of liquid and attempt to use the cheese to thicken it up.  The trick is to use a lot of cheese and use a tiny bit of liquid to thin it down.

cheddar or other shredded cheese
liquid from bottled jalapenos
milk (optional)

Place jalapeno liquid in a saucepan to just cover the bottom.  Add shredded cheese (a couple of cups) and cook on medium whisking often until melted and smooth.  If sauce is too thick add just a tad more liquid or you can add a bit of milk.  Serve while still hot.

Guacamole

My favorite guacamole is simple and delicious!

avacodo
heaping tablespoon mayo
squirt of lime juice

Mash ingredients together with a fork.